Founded by artists for artists in 1998, Locust Projects is Miami’s longest running nonprofit alternative art space. We produce, present, and nurture ambitious and experimental new art and the exchange of ideas through commissioned exhibitions and projects, artist residencies, summer art intensives for teens, and public programs on contemporary art and curatorial practice. As a leading incubator of new art and ideas, Locust Projects emphasizes boundary-pushing creative endeavors, risk-taking and experimentation by local, national and international artists. We invest in South Florida’s arts community by providing artists with project grants and empower creative careers by supporting the administrative work of being an artist through an onsite artist resource hub and access to pro bono legal services.
Opportunity: LAB MFA - Summer Residency and Exhibition
Application Deadline: midnight EST March 16th, 2025
Eligibility: Artists currently enrolled in MFA studio art programs in the U.S. during spring 2024
*first, second or third year students can apply
Join us for an info session on Sunday March 2 at 1pm PST/4pm EST.
*Residency opportunity dates: May 23 - July 7th, 2025
*Artists can stay as long as they wish during Residency opportunity period as long as their installation is completed by June 14th and they are present for any committed public programs. Note residence second bedroom may be occupied by another artist at some point during this time period.
Exhibition dates: June 14- July 5th, 2025
Opportunity Description:
Locust Projects, Miami’s longest-running alternative art space, invites graduate-level artists to submit project proposals for an exhibition in our 625 sq ft Project Room during the summer of 2025. This year's focus is on digital and new media projects that push the boundaries of technology-driven artistic practices. Exhibition proposals should reflect an expansion of an artist’s practice in conceptual scope, scale, or media, with a strong emphasis on digital innovation, interactivity, and hybrid approaches integrating physical and virtual experiences.
Priority will be given to projects that demonstrate exceptionally unique methods, processes, or concepts—particularly those that could not be presented in a traditional gallery setting, emphasizing site-specificity, installation, and digital media explorations. Artists addressing social justice issues, including race, identity, gender parity, climate change, and environmental advocacy through digital platforms, are encouraged.
We accept proposals from artists working in any digital or technology-based media, including interactive installations, AI-generated art, video-based works, virtual reality, augmented reality, and code-based art. Artists can apply as individuals or two-person collaboratives presenting a singular project. Special consideration will be given to artists presenting work directly related to their MFA studies or artists who have never realized a solo exhibition before. Locust Projects is not a commercial gallery; we do not offer artist representation.
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in an MFA program during the spring of 2025.
LAB MFA RESOURCES AND SUPPORT
- Artist stipend: $1,500.
- Production budget: Up to $1,750 (includes production, fabrication, equipment rental, materials, specialized lighting, professional/technical support, and public programs).
- Travel support: $500 stipend towards travel to/from Miami for out-of-town artists.
- Residency accommodations: Free accommodations for approximately four weeks near Locust Projects.
- Basic infrastructure: Access to AV equipment, tools, and supplies; up to 20 hours of preparator/contract labor assistance during install/de-install.
- Public programming: Artists will commit to creating public programming, such as conversations, performances, or collaborations, paying collaborators based on W.A.G.E. standards.
- Cross-disciplinary collaborations with Miami-based organizations or individuals are encouraged.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS. Please provide the following information in Submittable.
- Project proposal (350 word max.) Provide a summary of your proposed project, describing both its conceptual and physical aspects and how it will be realized. If you are graduating this year, explain how this project builds on your MFA thesis work. If you are graduating in the future, describe how it leads to your MFA thesis project. (350-word max)
- Draft floor-plan/rendering of proposed project - see attached PDF for floor plan and images
- Artist Statement (max. 150 words); can also be a 1 min video submission
- Letter of recommendation from a current professor (it can be attached or emailed directly to submissions@locustprojects.org. If it is emailed, please include an attachment in your application noting who is sending the recommendation and that it will be emailed directly to submissions@locustprojects.org).
- Work Samples. Upload 6 images of recent/ related work. If you have video based work you can put up to 3 video links in your application. You must provide at least 2 examples of previous work.
- Work Sample Descriptions. Please list the image file name with title, medium, dimensions and year for the images you attached in the image samples section.
- Artist resume or CV. Please include artist contact information (no more than 2 pages).
Please send questions to submissions@locustprojects.org.
FOR PROJECTS STARTING AFTER SEPTEMBER 1, 2025.
Annual grant opportunity for Miami-based artists to bring new ideas to life across Miami neighborhoods.
ABOUT WAVEMAKER GRANTS
WaveMaker Grants at Locust Projects supports Miami’s visionary artists with incubator grants to research, kick off or re-energize innovative artist-driven projects that are shared with the public in unconventional spaces.
Since 2015, WaveMaker has awarded $630,000 in funding to 125 of Miami’s visionary artists.
Grantees receive up to $6,000 each in three categories: New Work / Projects, Long-Haul Projects, and Research & Development + Implementation. In the spirit of Locust Projects’ artist-driven, experimental mission, WaveMakers experiment and take risks, creating innovative work that is shared in unconventional public spaces.
WaveMaker Grants are made possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts' Regional Regranting Program, a network of 35 regranting partners across the country.
Please review all available info at www.wavemakergrants.org before submitting.
Deadline is April 1, 2025 at 11:59pm.
There is no application fee. Locust Projects is committed to making WaveMaker Grants accessible to all applicants. Should you need any accommodations or assistance to complete your application, please reach out to digital@locustprojects.org.
Join us for the first WaveMaker VIRTUAL INFO SESSION of the year on Friday, February 21st, at 12pm via ZOOM. Learn about the next cycle of WaveMaker Grants for Miami-Dade artists and how you can apply for up to $6,000 in one of three categories: New Work / Projects, Long-Haul Projects, and R&D + Implementation.
Eligibility:
Visual artists, curators, cultural organizers/creatives, collectives, collaborators who reside in Miami-Dade County are encouraged to apply.
If you have received a WaveMaker Grant in the past 5 years you are ineligible to apply in 2025 unless you are a current R+D recipient.
Film, performance, dance, music, and other projects that fall outside a strict definition of visual art are eligible. However, visual art must be the leading component.
If applying as a group, the collaboration can be long-standing or initiated specifically for this project. Please identify one participant to serve as the lead contact. The lead contact and majority of participants must reside in Miami-Dade County.
Non-profit organizations and LLCs established for commercial enterprise are not eligible.
Selection Criteria:
All projects must engage or be shared with the public in unconventional spaces in Miami-Dade County. This may include exhibitions, performances, events, workshops, screenings, programming at alternative or artist-run-spaces. Projects can not be presented at art museums or commercial galleries.
All proposals will be considered based on criteria including but not limited to:
- Overall idea, vision, and artistic innovation
- Relevance to the local social, cultural, and/or geographic context
- Accessibility of the project to the public outside of a museum or gallery
- In person gatherings in free, publicly accessible spaces are an essential requirement.
- Capacity of the applicant to realize the project on time and within budget
- Potential impact on the local community, the arts and culture landscape, and/or the artist’s growth
Grantees will be announced by the end of August 2025 and funded for projects starting after September 1, 2025.
Founded in 2015 by the former nonprofit Cannonball, WaveMaker Grants has been administered by Locust Projects, Miami’s longest running nonprofit alternative art space, since 2017.
WaveMaker is made possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts' Regional Regranting Program, a network of 35 regranting partners across the country.